But only one accident is going through the township's insurance company, because Readington didn't own the other truck.

The driver of the tender the township owns, Ken Apsley, 54, was charged with drunken driving after a March 1 accident on Brookview Road, around the corner from the Readington Volunteer Fire Company.

No tickets were issued following an accident on Feb. 5 in Raritan Township, where Three Bridges volunteer Myron Brown, 61, was responding to a fire call behind the wheel of a 1983 truck. The accident happened on Dory Dilts Road during a winter storm, and roads were icy.

Three Bridges Fire Company President Jim Traynor said on March 20 that his company's insurance carrier has told them it is totaling that fire truck, but hasn't yet let the company know how much it will receive in settlement.

Traynor said that the 1983 truck was a "backup" in case a Three Bridges' main-line pumper was temporarily unavailable to answer a call. It was purchased by firefighters here before the township took responsibility for purchasing equipment for the four township volunteer fire companies.

And it will be replaced by the Three Bridges company, Traynor said, possibly with a newer but still used truck, or a demo. To help with that effort, the company's ladies auxiliary will hold a pre-Easter Longaberger basket bingo on April 11 at 7 p.m. at the firehouse.

Traynor said that a demo truck could cost $450,000, a savings of about $150,000 compared to custom-ordering a truck. He said that no decision has yet been made by the company's 25 active members, but said if a demo is decided upon the firefighters would likely wait and attend an expo in Pennsylvania later in the spring.

The March 1 accident in Readington that involved the 2002 tender happened at about 11:30 p.m. on dry roads, at a slight bend in the road. Police reported smelling alcohol on Apsley's breath, but couldn't test for it at the scene because he suffered a head injury and was medivacked.

Readington Chief John Rathborne said on March 20 that his surrounding mutual aid companies are aware that Readington's tender is out of service, therefore they are providing additional response.

The crashed tender was towed back to the Readington firehouse on Hillcrest Road. Once the township's insurance company decides whether to repair or total the truck it can be removed, said Rathborne, and the company will accept an offer from Kingwood Fire Company to use its spare tender in the interim.

"Kingwood was getting ready to sell it, but they offered it to us to use as long as we needed," Rathborne said.

Readington administrator Vita Mekovetz said the fire trucks owned by the township are part of a fleet policy through the Paic JIF (joint insurance fund). She said a claim for the Readington truck has been filed with Highland Claim Services, which is "handling it on behalf of Paic."

Mekovetz said the township provides a yearly stipend to each of its four volunteer fire companies and its rescue squad to defray costs, and also pays expenses such as various insurances, training, equipment and LOSAP pensions.

That totaled about $87,500 for each fire company in 2013, she said. Budget talks for 2014 are underway and she expects that number could rise slightly this year.

In the event of an accident in a township-owned vehicle, she said the township requires reports on equipment involved, any injuries and any police findings.

Apsley's charges were moved out of the township. They are scheduled to be heard on April 15 in a Tewksbury Municipal Court session that starts at 6 p.m.